(S7) - Ultimus Week

[DeathOnReddit]

Sit-down with a star:Interview a player from a team that is not your own that is in the playoffs. You must ask them four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. YOU MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS FOR CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

Run_CMC

1.) I've seen a lot of people say you didn't deserve to make the playoffs. Some say your field goal was lucky, and that you robbed the sabercats or Second line of the spot, what's your response?
To them I say: we had a better record. If they wanted a spot, they should’ve played better over the course of the season. My job is kicking field goals (and kicking a few others things), and I kicked field goals twice in week 14.

2.) That field goal was probably the biggest moment of your career, what was it like?
Surprisingly calm. Kicking is physical, as you have to be in proper shape to launch a ball 80 yards in the air on kickoffs, but it’s largely mental. If you don’t have the mental aspect down, you can’t be a professional kicker, and that’s what I am. So... yeah. Calm covers it pretty well. It’s only once the kick is through the uprights or is missed that your composure collapses and you either thank god or tell him to curse something.

3.) I know Arizona will probably be your only home forever, but if they were kicked out of the league, what team would you join?
Probably New Orleans or the Hawks. NOLA because it’s got some old friends and lots of guys I think would be new friends, and the Bovster is super cool. Hawks because they have slm and the GOAT defensive lineman, Arbin Asspie Jr.


4.) The Outlaws are obviously rebuilding. What do you think of the other teams that are also going through the process?
NOLA appears to be on the upswing, and good for them! Then there’s Colorado. I can’t tell if they’re still goin down the slide, are climbing the ladder, or are off the playset completely and face down in the sandbox.

Sit-down with a star:Interview a player from a team that is not your own that is in the playoffs. You must ask them four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. YOU MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS FOR CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

http://nsfl.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=8674&st=42#

Write about which S7 trade will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

There were two big trades that affected the Season seven playoffs, the one that sent Arbin Asipi Jr to Yellowknife, and the one that sent Carlito Crush to Orange County. I believe that the Carlito Crush trade was bigger, seeing as they actually won one game at least. Crush was huge for the Otters, winning them some close games in the final weeks of the playoffs, and being all around huge. Come playoffs, he was pretty important in the ASFC championship game, catch a few passes for a lot of yards. Without him the Otters probably would have still won, but it would have been a much closer game. In the Ultimus against the Philadelphia Liberty however, it could have been argued that Crush choked. This may have been a result of going from Colorado, where he won very little games, and none of them had any high stakes, to going to Orange County where the stakes are high every single game of the season. Now that he is re-signing with the Otters, perhaps he will perform better come next season, and this time he may not choke. Its up to him, but I think he may still choke. I dont think he has the IT factor.




Going to Disneyland!:Who was the Ultimus MVP? Give us a rundown of their celebratory trip to Disneyland. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)

Paul Dimirio is going to disney land! Josh Garden may have scored the first touchdown of the Ultimus game, and caused the game to change forever, Paul Dimirio was huge though. Paul is known for his playoff games, leading to the nickname, Playoff Paul. Dimirio has become one with the nickname, putting it as usernames for many of his social media accounts. While at Disneyland, Paul documented most of it on his instagram @Paul_PlayoffPaul_Dimirio. While there Paul went on many of the rides and seemed to have an awesome time. For his interview, Paul said these words exactly "Wow what a game. I'm taking my family to disneyland, and Im going to order some wine." What a sellout. Expected from someone in the Philadelphia Taco Bells. I'm just kidding. Maybe. Really though, what a deserving MVP for Dimirio. He's been a staple for the Liberty ever since he was drafted, and I think when you imagine the Liberty, you imagine Paul Dimirio. I'm sure many more wins will come to him, and he will be known as the GOAT TE of all time. Congrats to him on a deserving win, and a great career up to this point. Good luck Paul, you'll need it.

[ralams123]

Playoff Matchups



Robbed


Playoff Recap

[ADwyer87]

Written Points

Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else. Can be completed at any point

As much as it pains me to say, as a member of the Outlaws, the Baltimore Hawks got robbed out of the playoffs because of Arizona.

The first obvious comparison is the record. Arizona was 5-9, Baltimore was 7-7. in case you didnt do too well in math, 7 is more than 5, so by logic hawks should have made it, but they didnt.

Next is the head to head comparison. Baltimore beat Arizona in both of their meetings in the regular season this year. At home they dominated 27-10, and away they still won in a 41-35 shootout. This should show that head to head the Hawks were a better team.

Lastly, lets look at the other stats to help make a more full guess. In points for, Hawks had 405 while Arizona had 357. In points against, Hawks had 333 while Arizona had 433. So not only did the hawks have a positive net difference while the outlaws had a negative one, the net difference difference (yeah i know, pretty convoluted) was a whopping 148 points.

That is why the Hawks were robbed out of the playoffs. do i feel bad for them though? of course not! Last year I wrote this same article about how the Outlaws were robbed by an NSFC team to miss the playoffs for the first time, so this is just some DDSPF karma, bitches!

New Talent: Write about which S7 trade will or did have the biggest impact in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

Clearly, the trade that had the biggest impact on the playoffs was this one:

Yellowknife Receives:
S6 Arbin Asipi Jr - DE

Arizona Receives:
S5 Egor Medved - DT
S8 R3

Now, you are probably wondering how this is the case? Yellowknife lost, didnt they? And that is exactly my point! This trade affected the playoffs the most, but not in a positive way.

So, lets look at these two teams in the aftermath of this trade, starting with Arizona. at the time, Zona was 2-7, looking well outside the playoffs. Next thing you know, they went 3-2 down the stretch and finished with a miraculous win away over New Orleans to clinch a playoff spot. Next lets look at Yellowknife. Not only did they lose their only regular season game of the year with Asipi on their roster, but they also lost in the NSFC championship despite home field advantage!

This clearly shows that Arbin Asipi Jr. is terrible luck! After the Outlaws got rid of him, they started playing great again, and while Yellowknife had him they totally collapsed down the stretch. This should be a word of warning to all GMs, do not get this man in free agency if you hope to win the Ultimus!

Unsung Hero:Who was the unsung hero of the playoffs, convince us. (Can be completed after the Ultimus game)

The unsung hero of the playoffs, without a doubt, was Fox North. While fox used to be one of the top players in the league, a very solid wide receiver and star of Philadelphia, now he is just another face in the crowd, playing third fiddle to the duo of Garden and DiMirio. However, these are the three stat lines for the top 3 Philly receivers this playoffs

#1 - 9 catches, 204 yards, 22.7 YPC, 1 TD
#2 - 12 catches, 174 yards, 14.5 YPC, 3 TD
#3 - 8 catches, 134 yards, 16.8 YPC, 0 TD

As you could probably guess, #2 is DiMirio. As the tight end he has always been more of a red zone and volume player than a big yardage player. This is no surprise here.

Now, who is #1? You would have to guess Garden, after all he is the top receiver and always shows up big, right? well actually you would be wrong! Garden is #3, turning in once again no touchdown catches this playoffs and having just 2 catches in the ultimus game for 21 yards.

That leaves #1 as Fox North! He was clearly the best receiver for the Liberty this playoffs, yet gets none of the hype a guy like DiMirio has gotten so far. Thats why he is the unsung hero of this playoffs

Sit-down with a fan:Answer questions for an interview from a player that is not your own. You must answer at least four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. Link to the interviewers PT to receive credit. NOTE: THEY MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR YOU TO GET CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

Brad Pennington Interview

[Jepox]

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Conference Final MVP Sig: Make a sig for a player of your choice who you felt was the MVP of a Conference Final matchup. Must be completed after the Conference Finals

Spelled something wrong, whoops.

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Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about

My choice for the ASFC series MVP is none other than Mike Boss. The man was an unstoppable machine, and practically carried the Otters to the finals. He had a great rating of 125.6 during the game, a very good reason that the Otters won the series, and completed 28 of the 46 passes he threw. While going 28/46 may not seem like a very good percentage, he connected when it mattered and prove to be a clutch player during this game. To add on to this he threw for 484 yards, with an average of 17.3 yards. Something that's even more convincing of my claims for him to be the series MVP is the fact he had 4 touchdowns and not a single interception. Absolutely unreal. He certainly stepped up big time for his team, and helped carry them to the finals. Without Boss the Otters probably wouldn't have made it as far as they did which proves that he alone deserves to be the series MVP. With any other quarterback they may not have gotten the same results that Mike gave them, and they should be thankful for that even if they did fall in the finals. (200 words on the dot)

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Hate the player or the game: Tell us which team made the playoffs and shouldn't have, or which team didn't and should have? (Can be completed at any point)

My choice for a team that got robbed of a playoff appearance is the San Jose Sabercats. There are a few reasons as to why they should've gotten a playoff berth over the Arizona Outlaws, or times when they could've secured a berth to the post season. First up, is weeks 13. During this week San Jose played Arizona, and lost. If they had won this game they might've had a chance to move above the Outlaws in the standings and secure a playoff spot. Not only did they lose the game, they only lost by 2 points. Without going into the specifics here, I bet somebody was to blame for this and if they had stepped up their performance for this game, they could've made the post season. The second, and last, reason that the Sabercats should've gotten a spot in the playoffs is their last game of the season. Should they have won this game, they could've again have had a chance to move ahead of the Outlaws and win a chance to make the post season. They really seemed to get the short end of the stick with the schedule this season, and were stuck with two very difficult opponents to play against. (206 words)

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Sit-down with a star:Interview a player from a team that is not your own that is in the playoffs. You must ask them four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. YOU MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS FOR CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

Robby Rainey (Ahriman on discord)
Q1: How did you feel heading into the playoffs?

Q2: Any superstitions that your team followed during the playoffs?

Q3: Any goals for next season?

Q4: Do you feel you could've improved on your performance in the playoffs?

1. We felt great to be honest. Yellowknife went 13-1 in the regular season and won the regular season title, securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs and giving us odds on favorites odds to win the Ultimus.
2. I have just been with the team for one season but I would say that the usual self deprectaing superstition existed that exists with all great teams. Dermot said we were cursed and that the Wraiths would choke, everyone sort of laughed about it and carried on but truly we were extremely confident that this was the year for us.
3. Get Home field throughout the playoffs again. Many teams have been hit hard by personnel moves and the start of regression, we were to some degree as well but this team has lost no major pieces over the offseason and may have the chance to add one. We are looking to be back and take what was rightfully ours this season and bring a title home to Yellowknife
4. I had both a good and bad game for us. My player is a running back, and I accumulated 88 yards of offense and scored all three of Yellowknife's touchdowns. However, my ypc was abysmal and I feel like I could have given my team more in a game where they really needed me to shine and we had the home crowd as well. I would have liked to break off one big run to help us get in the game

[sapp2013]

Robbed: Write about why a team that failed to make the playoffs should have over somebody else. Can be completed at any point
The San Jose Sabercats should have made it into the NSFL playoffs over the Arizona Outlaws. Why? because They were the better team over the course of the season. If it were not for the trades that they made at the deadline, they would have nudged the outlaws out of the playoffs and would have had a shot at playing in the Ultimus game, something that they missed last season by one game to the hands of the Orange County Otters. Almost all of the trades that the Sabercats made were downgrades in terms of the immediate talent, but worked on gaining assets for the future. This loss of talent had the sabercats lose their next 4 out of 4 games to end the season, and allowed the Outlaws to finish out with 3 of their last 4 games with wins. without the combination of both things happening, the outlaws would not have had a chance to tie up the records. Now, the sabercats are going into a full rebuild and it does not look like they will competing any time soon. the lack of ultimus chances will make it difficult to pull in free agents, whereas a playoff appearance would have made it much easier.

That Magic Moment: Show one of the most exciting points in a game. (Must be completed after the game you write about)


Old Faces, New Places:Create a graphic for a player who changed teams during free agency this past off season and made the playoffs. Show how they've changed on their new team or what kind of impact they made for their new team. (Can be completed at any time)


Future Talent: Make a sig for a S7 player who you feel will or did make a large impact for their team in the playoffs. Can be written at any time depending on if you choose to write about who already has or who will do good

[Bzerkap]

Playoff Series MVP: Choose an MVP for one of the playoff series and write about why you chose them. Must be completed after the playoff series you write about
Once again Mike Boss played an absolute gem against the Outlaws in the ASFC Championship Game. He is the clear winner for MVP. As a quarterback, you are most responsible for leading your team to victory, and that's exactly what he did. Boss passed for 484 yards and 4 touchdowns in a dominating performance. His accuracy wasn't the best, at 60%, it was enough to get the job done, and when he did connect it was a thing of beauty, having an average yards per completion of 17.3. His most impressive completion had to be his 54 yard bomb to running back turned wideout Yates, which also went for a touchdown. He was also very judicious with the ball, throwing for four touchdowns and not turning the ball over once. He actually would have had more touchdowns if OCO RB Erlich Burnsman didn't plunge in a pair of short-yardage tries. Boss was also a master distributor of the duke, having three receivers over 100 yards with a fourth at 95. No receiver caught less than four balls.

Boss has been around the block a few times, and will undoutbly go down as one of the greats. This MVP performance is just another in a long list of superior play.

Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups. Must be completed after the Championship Game
The best regular season team in the league, the Wraiths played host to the reigning NSFC champion Liberty. In a well worn classic, it really looked like the Wraiths turn to finish the cinderella season behind a mobile QB, revamped receiving core, and fortified defense. However, the Liberty had something to say about that. Behind the arm of Tyler Oles and the legs of Damien Kroetch, the Liberty stormed to a large ten point halftime lead and never really looked back, winning the game comfortably, 40-31.

The ASFC really only had one worthy contender this year in the Orange County Otters, but the scrappy Outlaws, who clawed their way into a title run after a 1-7 start, decided to give it their best shot. Well the Otters juggernaut, of three straight titles, had none of that. The Otters handily defeated the Outlaws 48-24 behind the live arm of QB Mike Boss, who threw for four touchdowns. It was never really close as the Otters led 28-7 at halftime and coasted from there.

The ultimus championship game was a rematch of S6 with the Otters playing host to the Liberty. Two dynamic QBs in Oles and Boss went after it, but neither could really gain an advantage over the other. Boss was a bit steadier, but hardly without fault, throwing for a touchdown and interception, while Oles resorted to his gunslinging ways with three touchdowns and two interceptions. A big play in the return game and some stifling defense by the Liberty is what won them the day. Garden returned the opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown, and the defense produced seven sacks and nine pass deflections. The Liberty came out to a quick half time lead and never relinquished it, winning 28-19.

Sit-down with a star:Interview a player from a team that is not your own that is in the playoffs. You must ask them four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. YOU MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND THEIR ANSWERS FOR CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

Ah fuck I forgot they had to be in the playoffs. Well Daybe was in the playoffs in my heart.

1. As the QB of the Yeti you had far and away the least attempts of any QB this year. Do you feel like the coaches should have relied on your arm more?
I think the coaches did a good job In relation to that. Obviously I would have liked to seen more opportunities, but in the situation we were in, they made the right move. Obviously that was my rookie year and my transition year to the NSFL, so it wasn't expected to be a great season for me. But I'm learning, and I definitely want more opportunities with Nuck gone and our wide receiver core growing.

2. Currently going 0-28, do you feel that the Yeti are in your long term future?
To be honest I’m not sure at this point. I just spent the first year in the NSFL, and I’m still feeling things out. Obviously as the seasons pass by I’ll be able to pinpoint a more accurate answer. Obviously our performance in the next two years is going to be a big part of what I’m going to be looking for in free agency. But I definitely love it here in Colorado, it’s a great group of guys who know we’re in this together.

3. Is there any QB out there you model your play after?
To be honest, no. I know people will say, “Oh, why don’t you want to be like Boss? Or Blocksdale? Or even NFL players, like Drew Brees or Tom Brady?” Well, I’m my own person. I’m going to be rolling differently, and to keep it real with you, I’m modeling my play style after me. I don’t want to emulate someone and put me out of my comfort zone because it wouldn’t be me.

4. What’s your prediction for the Yeti’s record in S8?
My early prediction is that we’ll go 5-9. Obviously, I think a lot of players from S1 have peaked out, and this goes for mainly cornerbacks, which will make it easier for me to make better throws. Besides, we’re a growing team, and we’re definitely going to make leaps and bounds next season. I can feel it, with Mark taking a running back role we’re basically set at every position.

Sit-down with a fan:Answer questions for an interview from a player that is not your own. You must answer at least four questions and at least three must relate to the league in some way. Link to the interviewers PT to receive credit. NOTE: THEY MUST POST THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR YOU TO GET CREDIT. (Can be completed at any point)

Answered these questions for Daybe

[TheMemeMaestro]

Sit-down with a star: run_CMC

1) Many people saw the Outlaws as undeserving of making the playoffs, and a field goal by you put you guys in the playoffs. How do you respond to the people that say the Outlaws "robbed" the Second Line of a spot?

I think anyone saying that needs a bit of a reality check; it's the nature of the game. Our performance proved us the 2nd best team in the ASFC over the course of the whole season, and that means we head to the playoffs. The last game of a season may be the most exciting matchup, but in the end, there were 9 other games New Orleans could've won in to end with a better record than us.

2) Speaking of that field goal, that has to be the biggest moment of your young career. Walk me through what is going through your head before, during, and after the kick.

Actually, leading up to the kick, and during it, I was super calm. You kind of have to be if you're going to be a professional kicker; it's half physical, half mental. So, during the kick it felt routine. Just 33 yards after all. After it goes through the uprights comes the wave of either "aw heck I just screwed us" or "oh thank god I just made that." Thankfully in this case it was the latter of the two!

3) You have made it very clear that you love Arizona and would never leave, but if there was a team that you would want to be at besides Arizona where would it be?

This is a really tough question, because as you say, I love it here in Arizona. If I had to pick... I'd probably say the Second Line. Their general managers, coaches, and players are well known to be just stand-up guys.

4) Despite the Outlaws playoff appearance, this season, they are still clearly a rebuilding team. What are your opinions on the other rebuilding teams?

Opinions on rebuilding teams... well, does opinions on a rebuilding team's kicker count? Micycle McCormick is an awesome dude. I'm hoping to meet up and hang out with him this offseason, do some training and some chilling, cause he's a class act and a great kicker.

377 words

Robbed: Now, this is a change from the norm that I am used to. For the past however many years it seems like I have always been writing about the 3rd place team in the ASFC and how they played in the harder conference and they had the better record but didn't make it. But this year is the opposite. This year I am arguing in favor of the NSFC team that got robbed because of the conferences. The Arizona Outlaws did not deserve to be a playoff team. But not because of the New Orleans Second Line like everyone else is saying. I have made the consistent argument for the robbery of 3rd place teams and it continues. The Hawks had a 7-7 record. While not an amazing record, it is far better than the 5-9 record posted by the Arizona Outlaws. For the same reasoning that I have defended the Outlaws and the SaberCats before in years past, I am now morally obligated to defend the Hawks. Justice for Baltimore. Although they probably wouldn't have won a playoff game, they at least deserved to be in the playoffs more than the Arizona Outlaws did, no offense to them. It is just the reasoning I go by.

That Magic Moment:

This is going to seem like a really cliche moment. Especially because it isn't a moment of actual gameplay. It is instead the winding down of the clock in the Ultimus. The end of the game. The Philadelphia Liberty had commanded the entire game from opening kick to closing seconds. And as the clock ticked down to zero, it symbolized more than a win. One could even say it symbolizes more than just a regular championship. It symbolizes the end of the Otters 3-peat, maybe not their dynasty though. It symbolizes the end of the Oles era, the General Manager not the QB. It also ends one of the great streaks of the league. The ASFC dominance is now over. It took 7 seasons but the NSFC finally got one. After the heartbreak of last season as well, this Liberty team finally got the win they should have gotten last season. And now they stand at the top of the mountain. Which is why I would not be surprised if some of those players out on that field teared up a little bit as the clock wound down. It was more than time, it was the most magic moment of them all.

Unsung Hero:
The Unsung Hero of the Ultimus Game was none other than the same player that was considered the scapegoat of the last one. I am talking about Josh Garden of course. Just a year removed from his blunder that cost his team a championship, Garden knew that he had to make sure that he did not cost his team another. Although he did not have the best receiving game of his career, only 2 receptions for 21 yards, he did have one moment that was very important for this Philadelphia Liberty team. It was the opening kickoff of the game. Garden took all of his pent-up anger and frustration from not just last season, but also from his entire career. The "Garden Curse" talk had finally gotten to be too much for him and he decided to prove them all wrong. He took the opening kickoff all the way to the other side of the field for a 103-yard touchdown on the first play. It set the tone for a game that would be fully controlled by the Liberty, and in my opinion that would not have been able to happen without the work that Garden did on that play.